Chain Lightning
by l0stinl0ve
Summary: The Slytherin Prince and the Gryffindor Princess didn't know that their actions would start a chain of curses that would change Hogwarts forever.


Written for Dramionelove Valentine's Fest.  
This story could have grown to ridiculous length, but I find the brevity of each scene fresh and fun. Thanks to Yeaka and my brother for helping with ideas for this.  
The title is a joke based off one of the spells a Shaman does in World of Warcraft. I figured it was kind of fitting in this situation. Please enjoy.  
**Disclaimer:** "Harry Potter" is the property of J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. This work of fiction/art was created entirely for fun, not for profit, and no copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

**Chain Lighting**

GONG!

"What was that?" Hermione asked, trying to catch her breath.

"Huh?" Draco was busy trying to keep himself from climaxing. He had only sheathed himself in warm heat a moment ago, and he wasn't going to let anything ruin his first time with his secret girlfriend.

"There was a loud sound," she panted.

"Hmm," he murmured into her neck, letting the green glow of the Slytherin dorms wash over them, focusing on bringing them both pleasure. They had Valentine's plans to finish.

**CLCLCL**

"Ow! What was that for?" Ron shouted. Standing from the floor, he rubbed his sore bum.

"I didn't do anything." Lavender sat up in her chair, unable to step closer to her boyfriend.

"What in the bloody-"

Lavender fell over the back of the couch as Ron tried to step closer to her. "Stop!" she shouted, realising that every time he tried to reach her, her body would dart in the opposite direction.

"Fine! I don't want to be near you either!" Ron roared, walking back to the other side of the couch. Oblivious to the fact that the movements of his now _ex_-girlfriend were involuntary, he grabbed his clothes and then stomped back up the stairs to the eighth year boys' dorm.

"Why?" Falling to her knees, Lavender softly cried.

**CLCLCL**

"Since when are you too good to hold my hand? Why, Theo?" Astoria complained, upset that every attempt to touch her boyfriend was rebuffed.

"Why, Astoria? You want to know why?" Theo had finally had it. Just waking up that morning was agony. There was a stripe of red across his stomach where his girlfriend's arm had laid. When she had grabbed his hand, the intensity of the burn forced him to immediately let go. He escorted her out of the common room - as he was raised to do - but kept his hand hovering a good two inches away from her lower back, fearing the pain.

"You haven't touched me since this last night! Did you regret it? I know I said I wanted to wait, and you said you were okay with it!" Her voice was slowly rising, drawing attention to their end of the Slytherin table. It was the middle of breakfast, and the Great Hall was filling up quickly. "Why won't you let me touch you!" Astoria finally shouted, forcing the hall into silence.

**CLCLCL**

"What do you think is going on over there?" Ginny asked, shoving herself between Hermione and Harry. She began gathering food for her breakfast, not noticing her sulking brother sitting across from them.

"Not sure, wonder if it has anything to do with why Ron is in a foul mood." Harry murmured so that only Ginny and Hermione could hear.

"Doubtful. It looks... sounds like Theo and Astoria just broke up," Hermione whispered behind her hand. "I don't know how that could connect to Ron."

"Because girlfriends are stupid," Ron answered, voice cold and hard. He stared at his plate of bangers and mash, the food untouched before him.

"Are you going to eat those?" Ginny pointed her fork over a rather fat sausage and stabbed it before her brother could reply. She was already chewing on the tasty morsel when the conversation picked up again.

"I can't get anywhere near Lavender. Like, at all. If we get anywhere within a metre of each other, the other person is forced to step away," Ron cried.

"How do you know that?" Harry queried.

Finally attempting to eat something, Ron swallowed a bite of scrambled eggs before responding. "Because she cornered me this morning. I had my back to the wall and had nowhere to go and she still couldn't come near me. She said it was like an invisible wall was preventing her."

"Hmm." Hermione narrowed her eyes, contemplating the turn of events.

**CLCLCL**

"Why is Greg encased in stone?" Draco drawled.

Millicent stepped away from the hard surface of her boyfriend, and watched as he quickly returned to human flesh.

"Huh," Draco thought, walking past them towards Potions.

**CLCLCL**

"I'm sort of having issues seeing right now." Seamus flailed before falling backwards onto his bed.

Dean chuckled, and followed him, laying half on top of him, trailing his fingers down his cheek, staring into his milky blue eyes, realising his own eyes were blurring

**CLCLCL**

"There has been quite a commotion around the school today." Minerva stated, staring at two of her predecessors, speaking over the other portraits' conversations.

Albus' eyes twinkled from the frame.

"And why should we care?" The corners of Severus' lips twitched. Trying to hold back a smirk, he snorted at the pacing Headmistress.

"Because it's only Gryffindors and Slytherins causing a ruckus!" She stopped in her tracks, turned at both men, and glared.

"That's normal," Severus drawled while Albus chuckled.

"He has a point, Minnie."

"Do _not_ call me that at a time like this. I have a fourth year in the hospital regrowing her bones after snogging her boyfriend!" She threw her arms up in the air and began pacing again.

"What houses were they in?" Phineas snidely interrupted.

The din of the room ceased to exist, as if a _Silencio_ was cast. Everyone knew that Phineas hardly wanted to partake in the affairs of students.

"Both were in Slytherin," Minerva replied, wondering if sharing information with the normally unhelpful man was wise.

"And the other incidents?"

"A second year Gryffindor couldn't move from his place after trying to hold one of his House mates hands. Theodore Nott was leaving the infirmary when I arrived, complaining about burns caused from touching his girlfriend. Lavender Brown and Ronald Weasley can't step within a metre of each other." Minerva was losing her patience, watching the calculating look on Phineas's face turn into a frown. "Must I go on?"

"We have a problem."

"Clearly!" she shouted, throwing her hands up in the air once more.

"No, this is a serious problem," Phineas muttered.

"Yes, we know. _Clearly_, Minerva. Do calm down," Severus interrupted, arching a brow at Minerva until she sat down.

"Please explain," she whispered, rubbing her temples. Voldemort was gone, all the dangerous Death Eaters were either dead or in Azkaban. When would their world know peace?

"The curse has activated," a quiet voice from high on the wall answered. It was a portrait of an old witch, wearing a very old wizards hat - one with cloth that covered everything but her face under the hat. Her blue eyes sparkled - and not in the good way like Albus Dumbledore's eyed liked to - as she laughed. Her cackle raised in volume the more Phineas muttered, eventually drowning out the sound, sending a shiver down the recent Headmasters' and Headmistress' spine.

This didn't really bode well.

**CLCLCL**

"You are never going to guess," Ginny started to say, seating herself on Blaise Zabini's lap.

"Oi! How come you can touch him?" Ron shouted, following his sister towards the tree overlooking the Black Lake.

Hermione and Harry ran to keep up, also interested in the new development.

"Because we're dating, and don't you start on how _'He's a Slytherin, you're a Gryffindor'_ or _'It isn't right, house unity is good in theory but not in practice'_ or any of that other rot you like to say!" she shouted back, making herself comfortable in her boyfriend's lap, wrapping an arm around his neck for extra measure. "Now guess!"

Harry and Hermione rolled their eyes at Ron who was pouting like a petulant child. Harry sat himself across from the pair while Hermione discreetly sat close to Zabini's best friend.

"And what are we supposed to be guessing?" Draco drawled.

"Well, that just defeats the purpose, now doesn't it?" Ginny glared.

"Seriously, how is it that you're touching?" Ron huffed, seating himself next to Harry.

"Why are you still on that?" Blaise questioned, wrapping both arms around Ginny, nuzzling his nose into the crook of her neck.

"Because I can't step within a bloody metre of my sodding girlfriend and here you two are throwing the fact that you two can touch in my face!"

Ron's face was turning a ridiculous shade of vermillion. Not one person sitting there thought it possible to be redder than the Weasley hair.

"You know, that's a good question," Draco said.

"WHAT?!" they all shouted. Was Draco Malfoy agreeing with Ron Weasley?

"The world is going to end. First Slytherin couples are unable to touch each other and now the ferret is siding with Ron," Harry pondered, then turned to Hermione. "What's next? Voldemort comes back from the grave?"

It was a statement to the amount of time the group of people had spent together that the Gryffindors managed to ignore the shiver that passed through the two Slytherin boys.

"You know, that's a good point," Hermione mused, eyes rolling up, contemplating.

"What do you mean it's a good point?" Ginny exclaimed.

"Well, from my understanding," Hermione explained, "Astoria Greengrass and Theo Nott are no longer together because his skin burns when she touches him. And I noticed that Millicent turned to stone when Greg kissed her goodbye before Ancient Runes earlier."

"So that's what that was," Draco added.

"What do you mean?" Hermione turned her head so she was directly looking at him. She was having a hard time not crawling into his lap. She knew that her best friends had gotten use to the idea of Ginny with Blaise, but she was sure that the whole school would cause a riot if they found out that the Gryffindor princess was shacking it up with the Slytherin prince.

"Just that Millicent had kissed Greg before Potions and he was stone then. As soon as she stepped away, he was back to normal. They could hold hands though."

"And Ron and Lavender can't get near each other," Hermione added, trying to figure out the pattern.

"And when Seamus and Dean stare into each other's eyes they go blind!" Ginny yelled, throwing her hands over her mouth as soon as the words escaped her.

"What?!" everyone else shouted, staring intently at Ginny.

"That's what you were supposed to guess!"

"Of course she's upset about ruining the game, not spilling a secret," Harry mumbled, making Draco snort.

Hermione glared at both of them before speaking to Ginny. "Interesting. Harry, would you please try to touch Ron?"

"Uh, I guess?" Harry replied, leaning over to put his hand on Ron's shoulder.

Nothing happened.

"Blaise, would it be alright if Ginny tried to kiss Harry's cheek?"

"Why?" He narrowed his eyes at Hermione.

"An experiment."

"Why don't you have Harry kiss you?" Ron asked.

"No!" Draco seethed. He turned to his girlfriend, eyes bulging at the realisation of what he had nearly done. "You want two people of the same house to try an intimate gesture?"

She nodded.

"Fine," he said, turning to Blaise and trying to kiss his cheek.

Again, nothing happened.

"I think it actually has to be intimate," Hermione muttered, playing with her fingers, unsure how best to proceed with testing.

Next thing she knew, her chin was being uplifted, and soft lips that she didn't recognise were on hers, sending an electric jolt down across her skin.

"Ow!" both girls shouted.

"Did they just kiss?" Harry queried, glancing at the lustful gaze of the two Slytherins.

"Intimate gestures between two people of the same House, regardless of sexual orientation," Blaise finally managed to say.

"Yup," Hermione answered, wiping her lips.

**CLCLCL**

"Settle down students," Minerva called out. The Great Hall was in an uproar. Slytherins were glaring at Gryffindors. Gryffindors were growling at Slytherins. If nothing was done soon, a new war would break out.

From the top of her table, Hermione screamed a scream that would rival the hoarse cries from when she was under Draco last - Valentine's day, to be exact. She had climbed onto it to give her added height and succeeded in silencing the room and garnering their attention. "Now, after some experiments, the Head Boy and I," she nodded in the direction of Draco Malfoy, "have come to the conclusion that couples of the same House have had a curse placed on them preventing them from being intimate with each other."

"Then why is it only our two houses here? Shouldn't Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff be here as well?"

"No, as we all know Ernie and Susan are happily in love, disgusting us with their overt public displays of affection," Draco drawled, silencing Daphne Greengrass with one look.

"How could this have happened?" Lavender sputtered between tears. Parvarti was trying to soothe her by rubbing her back, but the sheepish look Ron gave her from across the table only made Lavender cry more.

"Apparently," Minerva started, watching the Head students take their seats amongst their peers, "according to a few of our past Headmasters a curse on the Slytherin dorms has been activated."

Shocked gasps came from one side of the room while shouts of "And how does that affect us?" erupted on the opposite.

"The curse required a Slytherin _and a Gryffindor_ to take effect. Relations between the two houses needed to occur within the dorm walls to force the Houses to interact with each other."

"More than interact," several people - from both Houses - mumbled.

"Indeed," Minerva nodded, understanding the ire coming from her students. "It was meant to promote House Unity."

"Well, bugger that!" Ron protested. He searched the room for the red hair of his sister, and found her on the opposite side, holding hands with her boyfriend. "You!" he screeched, finger pointed in the direction of the couple.

Everyone in the room noted the direction he was pointing in, and hackles immediately raised. The finger pointing, shouting, and threats came from all sides, forcing the couple to flee.

**CLCLCL**

"Shouldn't we say something?" Hermione asked, fingering the fringe of her sleeve. She was nibbling her lip, worried for her friend.

"And let them slaughter us instead?" Draco pressed a finger to her lip. "The Weaslette throws a mean Bat-Bogey Hex and I don't know anyone better at _Protego_ than Blaise."

"It's still not right." She fell into his arms, resting her head on his chest.

They held each other close as they hid in the Astronomy tower. It had been a week and tensions were barely subsiding. The sight of a couple of younger years inter-dating between the Houses had caused quite the stir, but the returning eigth years - the ones who were in established relationships - were having a tough time letting things go.

"Maybe if they had a distraction?" Draco suggested, tightly holding her, inhaling the cinnamon scent of her hair.

"And what sort of devious plot do you have in mind?" She pulled back in order to look up at his smirking face.

"Leave it to me. Just leave it to me." He leaned down to kiss her smiling face.

Hermione couldn't say anything; she was too busy snogging her boyfriend.

**CLCLCL**

"Hey Potter." Draco walked quickly - a Malfoy doesn't run - to catch up with the lone Chosen One.

"Malfoy," Harry nodded.

"How are you taking all this House Unity -"

"What do you want?" Harry didn't even bother looking at the guy; he just continued to walk the halls, ignoring the weird looks they were receiving from their schoolmates.

"Why would I want something? Couldn't I simply be exchanging pleasantries with my best friend's girlfriend's ex?" Draco asked with a mock incredulous look on his face, keeping up with Harry's long strides.

"Exactly. Why would you be exchanging pleasantries with Ginny's ex? Makes no sense, so you clearly want something." Harry stopped when they reached an abandoned corridor on the third floor. He had a free period, so he didn't have to rush to anything. Plus, he was busy hiding from helping Ginny hide. The things he did for that girl...

"I have an easier way for you to help them, you know," Draco smirked.

"Don't go reading my mind!" Harry shouted.

Draco scoffed. "Why would I waste my energy like that? I could read your thoughts on your face. All you Gryffindors are so easy to read. It's no wonder you all fail at Occlumency."

"I resent that. And I'll tell Hermione you think she fails at something." Harry crossed his arms, smirking when Draco gulped.

"Don't threaten me with that hellcat. Her claws hurt." Draco trembled for Harry's benefit; he particularly liked when Hermione got rough. "I'm just saying there's an easier way to get Ginny off your back. And it may be good for you, too."

"I'm listening."

"There's a Slytherin who's interested in getting to know you. Maybe if you spent some time with her, the animosity between everyone would decrease. You know, show a united front and what not, and be the leader you are. Seeing you with a Slytherin will force everyone else to consider it, too."

Harry thought it over, and while it seemed sound, he wanted to know what the ferret's angle was. "And why don't you ask out a Gryffindor and show the Slytherins its okay to date their rival house?"

"We're Slytherins. Only a Gryffindor is brave enough to cross enemy lines like that. You'll recall it was Weaslette who approached Zabini."

Which was true, and Harry felt that it wouldn't hurt to try. Worse come to worst, he'd spend the afternoon with a insipid girl. "Fine."

"Great!" Draco clapped the man's shoulder, grin plastered on his face. "Courtyard in an hour."

**CLCLCL**

"Hello Greengrass." Draco threw his arm around the girl who instantly stiffened, waiting for the shock/burn/some sort of pain to fall on her person. "I'm not interested in you in that way, so touching you does nothing. Don't worry."

Daphne shrugged the hand away anyway. It never hurt to be too careful. "And what has occurred that you decided to grace the Slytherin common room with your presence?"

"Oh, just a favour. Well, more like, you'll owe me one after today."

"I highly doubt I would ever be in your debt. I know better than to owe a Malfoy," she sniffed, preparing to leave for the girls' dorms. The stairs would keep him away.

"I don't know about that," he started, rolling a letter between his fingers. "I came across some interesting information earlier this week and figured I could help you _crush_ a certain problem of yours."

"Where did you get that?" Her eyes narrowed, and if she wasn't a dignified woman, she would have tried to snatch the piece of parchment and run away.

"That's neither here nor there. What matters is, there is a certain lion waiting in the courtyard for you."

Her eyes widened. Could it be? "You're lying."

"When have I ever lied to you?"

She raised her eyebrow as if the man was an idiot.

"That wasn't a lie, and you know it. It was withholding the truth, completely two different things."

Keeping the same expression, she crossed her arms and began tapping her foot. She could do this all day if she had to.

"Really, he's only going to be there for another fifteen minutes, so you best hurry up if you want to catch him."

It took a few minutes, but Daphne eventually decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. Truthfully, the Slytherin prince never lied to her, but not telling her that her socks didn't match when she asked how she looked could be misconstrued as lying. Well, in her head it made sense.

**CLCLCL**

"How did you do it?" Hermione whispered into his ear. They were sitting on the floor, in the very back of the library.

"A Slytherin never shares his secrets, sweetheart." He pulled her into his lap.

"Seriously, how did you do it?" She tapped him on the nose with each word.

He slapped her hand away. "Seriously, I'm not telling."

"Fine," she harrumphed, sliding off him. Grabbing her bag, she stood up in order to leave.

Pulling her back down to him, he kissed her, speaking into her lips, "Leverage."

**CLCLCL**

"Okay, seriously, how did you manage this?" Hermione asked. She was standing at the door to his dorm - the room where everything started a month ago - with her hands on her hips. She wasn't going to let him through until she had her answers. "First Harry and Daphne. Then Ron and Pansy," she shuddered. "And now Theo is spending time with Dean and Greg is taking Parvarti to Hogsmeade this weekend." She walked up to him pressing a finger onto his chest with each word, "What. Did. You. Do?"

He used a hand to grasp around her finger and picked her up off the ground, forcing her to wrap her legs around him. Moving his hands to her arse, he held her close, nipping at her jaw. "I can only take the credit for Daphne and Harry. And I told you, I had leverage. Everyone else was of their own -"

"When did this happen?" Several shouts came from the open doorway. Draco looked over his girlfriend's shoulder to find his best friend standing at the door.

"It was you!" Blaise shouted. "Oh, this is good. Just wait until I tell-"

"You will _not_ say a word to a Ginny or I'll let a certain something slip next time I'm at the Burrow." Hermione responded, not once looking over her shoulder, but saying everything clearly, the obvious threat laced in her voice.

Draco smirked at his girlfriend. He loved it when she played dirty. He played with the box in his pocket, but decided to wait. Instead, he decided to snog his soon-to-be-not-secret girlfriend.

Everyone in the room could hear Blaise gulp in response.

"Leverage," she whispered into his lips before telling him to take her to bed.

**CLCLCL**

"Will this curse be in effect forever?" Minerva asked Edessa Sakndenberg, the only knowledgeble Headmaster in regards to the problems of the latter half of the school year.

"Just until the couple who triggered it get married."

"Oh, bother," the Headmistress sighed, collapsing into her chair behind her desk. The past few months was the cause of the biggest headache, and it didn't appear it would be soothed anytime soon.

"I hear we can expect a wedding invitation by graduation," Albus provided an answer to calm the room.

Minerva spun in her chair to step up to her mentor. She noticed the twinkle in his eyes, and couldn't ignore the smirk on Severus' face. Before she could question them, Phineas was quick to cause a discord in the room.

"And just which Slytherin would sully his line by marrying a lousy Gryffindor?"

"Why," Severus' smirk turned feral, "I believe it happens to be a descendent of yours. Your great-great-great-great-great-grandson. I think that was the right number."

"You lie," Phineas seethed. "Lucius and Narcissa wouldn't allow it!"

"After the last two years, they'd do anything to keep their son happy," Severus replied. Minerva was enjoying the exchange from the floor, where she couldn't hold back the uncontrollable giggle. "And even better. He's marrying Hermione Granger, Gryffindor Princess, and the poster-girl of Muggle-borns everywhere."

It was hard to tell which was louder: the sputtering coming from the portrait of the late Phineas Nigellus Black, or the roaring laughter of everyone else.

**Fin.**


End file.
